A/N: Hello! Happy Monday and happy roommate era! I'm so glad you are all so excited for this part of the story. I'm excited to share this chapter with you all. Let me know what you think!


Life with Hailey became easy. It was fun. It was new. It was good.

Waking up next to her was still a small shock, but it was welcomed. While they didn't cuddle like that first night, they still stayed up talking in bed even if they had just spent an hour straight doing the same thing on the couch. The pillow talk would often lead to one of their hands drifting across the blankets to the other's for some sort of comforting squeeze or joking poke. Those close hands resulted in at least one of them holding onto the other by the morning.

Night Two resulted in Hailey holding the edge of Jay's shirt. She had his thumb in her grip after Night Three. Jay's hand was on her middle back throughout the entirety of Night Four, and then Night Five ended in their feet together with his hand in her hair. The physical closeness was new even after the intense cuddling during Night One. This was incredibly more intimate. It was small gestures proceeded by friendship. Their relationship was growing in small increments. Years before, she'd grabbed his shoulder at work and it shocked him. Now, she grabbed his shoulder as she walked past him in his kitchen and he didn't even blink.

These small touches were perhaps Jay's favorite part of living with Hailey.

That…and the fact that he could see her bruises fading with his own eyes.

Now that she wasn't going into work, Hailey stopped putting makeup on in the morning. It wasn't like she'd caked it on before, but now she didn't hide any redness in her cheeks or the slight darkness under her eyes. She didn't have perfect eyebrows or long eyelashes, and she even had the smallest of pimples on the top of her forehead. Yet she really was beautiful. When Jay woke every morning, he found Hailey lying still with her eyes closed (he wasn't always convinced she was asleep, but figured he'd entertain her and pretend as well), so he just stared. Maybe it was the fact that she was in his bed in the room they were currently sharing, but she seemed even prettier than usual. He'd meant it in the hospital when he told her she would always be pretty, that was never going to change no matter what makeup she wore or what time of day it was, this was just a new level.

Pair that with the random texts they'd send each other about their plans for the evening and simply waking up next to her and Jay realized he was falling for her more than he had before.

It was a dangerous line, though, that he worked to balance. He still didn't want to overstep and say something that made her uncomfortable. She was recovering in every sense of the word, and adding another new layer to their relationship was not something he thought was a good idea at the time. She didn't need to know that her new roommate was in love with her.

Because he was.

She just needed to know that someone cared for her and wanted the best for her. He was going to be supporting her every step of the way. Now was definitely not the time to tell her he loved her.

Maybe in the future.

Maybe.

For now, Jay walked down the hall toward his apartment after work with a new set of butterflies in his stomach: he had the day off tomorrow which meant he was going to be spending an entire day with Hailey in his apartment. Usually they spent less than an hour together in the morning and maybe two or three together at night before bed. They weren't used to spending all twenty-four hours together, but he was excited. And nervous. But mostly excited.

"Hey, Hailey," he called while walking into the apartment. He glanced around as he carried in a bag of groceries he'd picked up on the way home, but didn't see her right away. A second later, the top of a blonde ponytail popped up from the ground near the windows in the living room.

"Hi," Hailey said from her spot on the floor.

"What're you doing?" Jay chuckled and kicked his shoes off. He then carried the groceries into the kitchen and began unpacking them.

"Painting," she answered. Standing up, Hailey smiled at him and followed him. "What'd you get?" she asked as she jumped up onto the counter.

He raised an eyebrow and stopped moving the new eggs into the fridge container to ask, "We're just sitting on anything now?"

Hailey laughed and kicked her leg out to nudge his side. "Shut up," she said, "What'd you buy? I didn't think we were running low on anything."

"We're not," he replied as he went back to unloading everything, "However, I wanted to make chicken fajitas for dinner, and I wasn't sure we had enough chicken, and I knew we didn't have shells. That okay?"

"We eat chicken a lot," Hailey teased.

Chuckling, Jay shrugged and said, "Chicken's easy to make at night. If you don't want it, I'm sure I could make something else."

Hailey shook her head. "It sounds good," she said, "You should have texted me, though, I could have started the oven."

"Actually, I was hoping I could make the food tonight," Jay said softly and closed the fridge. He then turned and began pulling out a few pans and spices.

Hailey watched with narrowed eyes before asking, "What're you doing?"

"Cooking dinner," Jay easily answered without looking up.

"You're not just warming something up," Hailey said.

Jay laughed and nodded. "That's correct."

"You're actually making dinner," Hailey continued.

Jay stopped reading the back of a spice bottle to smirk and lean a little closer to her. "I am," he said, "I wanted to make you dinner tonight. I don't have work tomorrow, so let's go into this day off with a bang, okay? Celebrate my freedom. Maybe we could even have margaritas."

Hailey stared at him then burst into a laugh. "Margaritas?" she asked, "You do not have stuff for-" She stopped when Jay held up a packet of strawberry margarita mix.

"Your favorite, right?" he asked with a smile, "It's been a few days since you've weaned off those pain meds and it's been even longer since you've had alcohol. We're celebrating more than my day off."

Hailey's smile was still frozen on her face until she slowly shook her head and relaxed. "You're something else," she said softly.

Jay winked and returned to the food to begin cutting up the peppers.

Hailey watched him for a moment before walking back to her paints and sitting on the floor.

Glancing over at her, Jay's smile widened. He couldn't see what she was doing, but she was content and that's really what his goal had been this entire time. If she was happy, then he was happy.

And margaritas seemed like the perfect way to make them both happy.


They were seated at the island with all the fajita toppings spread in front of them, and Jay had never been more pleased with his own cooking. The food was delicious and the margaritas were even better.

Hailey poured herself another one then took a long sip. She smiled while setting her glass down and said, "Who would have thought you make a damn good margarita?"

"It's really not that hard," Jay laughed.

Hailey waved her hand before picking up her fajita and taking another big bite.

Jay smiled at her as he finished his third one. He was wiping his mouth of any stray salsa when he noticed some blue paint on her wrist. Clearing his throat, he said, "What were you painting anyways?"

"Uh," Hailey hummed and looked over her shoulder with a shrug, "I don't know. Kind of just painting colors. Nothing crazy."

"Can you show me after dinner?" Jay asked.

Picking up her glass, Hailey smirked against it and said, "Maybe."

"You've been painting a lot and I really haven't seen anything yet," Jay said, "I think it's only fair that I get to see something. It is my apartment."

"Oh, oh really?" Hailey laughed.

"Yeah," Jay chuckled.

Hailey took another sip then held up a finger and slipped off the barstool. She walked over to her corner of painting supplies and returned a minute later with three small canvases in hand.

"The one from today is still wet, but these are dry," she explained as she passed them over.

Jay raised an eyebrow before looking down at the 6x6 pictures. He immediately softened and felt his jaw go lax. The one on top was a collage of purples, pinks, and oranges that almost perfectly resembled a sunset over a lake. The next had a variety of shapes in different shades of red and black; it didn't look as involved as the sunset, but it was still really cool. Finally, a big yellow flower covered the last canvas, and it was like looking at a picture.

"Did you do these by memory?" he asked softly.

"Yes."

Jay's head shot up at Hailey staring at him while lightly picking at her nails. "Yes?" he repeated, "You made these by memory? Even the flower?"

"Yeah," Hailey said with a tiny smile before taking a long sip of her drink.

"You are crazy talented," Jay breathed and shook his head in disbelief as he turned back to the paintings.

"They were just warm-ups," Hailey said quietly, "Today's is a bit bigger. I'm trying some different stuff too, so I won't finish it for another day or two probably."

"What is it?" Jay asked.

"Skyline," Hailey answered and shrugged, "What I see when I look out the window."

Jay smiled and set the paintings on the counter. "That is really, really cool."

"Thank you."

Hailey reached out to grab the paintings just as Jay went to trace his finger along the petals of the flower. She hesitated when her hand was on top of his wrist, but didn't move.

He was still wearing her hair tie from two weeks before. He told himself he could take it off, but by now it'd been on so long that he barely felt it anymore – it was like his watch and became a part of him. Taking it off felt wrong. He wasn't ready to let go of Hailey.

Her fingers slipped around his wrist then slid underneath the rubber band to press into his pulse point. Breathing in slowly, she whispered, "Why are you still wearing it?"

He swallowed against his dry throat and shrugged.

"Jay." Her fingers moved the slightest against his veins in the softest touch that in any other situation probably could have lulled him into some sort of relaxed sleep.

"It's you," he finally answered simply, "I…I'm not going to let go of you. Maybe it's silly, but if I'm wearing it, then I'm not alone."

Hailey's eyes held onto his as her fingers continued brushing along his wrist. Slowly, she began shaking her head until she seemed to find the strength to say, "I don't think either of us is going anywhere. No amount of ponytails or margaritas will change that."

Jay smiled slightly and nodded. He looked back down where she was still gently playing with the rubber band. For a brief second, he thought she was going to slip it off of his wrist and was shocked at the fear that suddenly coursed through him. However, she then pulled her hand away and placed it in her lap. She smiled and shrugged at him, which he easily returned.

As if he needed her permission, she just gave it to him. She understood what he was doing and wasn't going to fight him on it. Perhaps it was because she had her own item of his that she held onto no matter what was happening: his black t-shirt that she still wore occasionally at night. She never made any comment about it, but he didn't either. It was an expected and accepted part of their life now. Just like the hair tie around his wrist.

Hailey then reached up and grabbed the three canvases. "Thank you," she said softly.

"For what?"

Hailey looked up and smiled as she shrugged and said, "The drink. Dinner. The compliments. Does it matter?" She brought the paintings back to her corner.

Jay licked his lips and swallowed hard before walking around to begin washing the dishes. No, maybe it didn't matter, but…maybe it did.

She didn't need to thank him for anything. Sure, there was a lot she could thank him for, but she definitely didn't need to. He liked doing all of this, and he especially liked this 'special' dinner. If anything, she was helping him by being here. He found that he worried a lot less now than he had the entire time she was in the hospital. His stress levels had gone down immensely in the last few days despite the lack of alcohol.

They'd grown used to getting a beer or two or maybe even a whiskey at least once a week when work got to be too much, so when Hailey couldn't have alcohol, it felt weird to drink alone again. He tried a couple times to have a beer by himself, but it seemed useless and was way too quiet. Even when they'd sit and not talk, just having Hailey's presence was comforting no matter what had been going on. That bled over into having Hailey in his apartment everyday. Listening to her breathe at night and just live her life was enough to tell him she was okay and that's all he really needed to calm down.

He dried off the pans he'd used then took one last sip of his margarita before walking over to Hailey in her corner. He spotted the wooden box he'd carried out of her house almost a week before. It was now open next to her filled with watercolors, acrylic paints, and brushes. It didn't surprise him at all that that's what was in it. Hailey wasn't one to wear a ton of jewelry, but even if she was, this box was too big to be considered a jewelry box. And now that she'd 'revealed' that she liked to paint, it felt fitting that she'd take good care of her hobby.

She glanced up at him from examining her skyline painting to say, "Hey."

"Hey," he chuckled and sat next to her, "It looks good."

"Thanks," she said softly, "It's the view out your window."

Jay raised an eyebrow then went up on his knees to confirm that, yes, Hailey had nearly perfectly sketched out the skyline from his living room. "Wow," he whispered then settled back across from her. He leaned against the wall and asked, "How'd you start doing all of this?"

Hailey shrugged and began putting all of her paints away. "I took an art elective in high school and I really liked it, like really really liked it. It was just fun and it turned out I was pretty good at it. All I could afford was watercolors, so that's why I stick to that most of the time. My parents were actually supportive of it and were fine if I'd just sketch stuff out in my free time at the restaurant. It helped with all the chaos that was there."

Jay smiled slightly and pulled his knees up to his chest. "Did you take any classes in college?" he asked.

"Not any for credits," she said and clicked her box close, "But I took a couple at the community center. I mostly stuck to myself though and just tried random things. Once I joined the academy, it kind of got pushed to the side for a while."

"It's a rough time," Jay replied.

Hailey scoffed and nodded. "That was hard as hell. So glad we only had to do it the one time."

"Think we would have been friends there?" Jay asked.

Smiling, Hailey shrugged and leaned back on her hands. "What kind of student were you?" she countered.

Jay laughed and answered, "I was a good student because I wanted to be there. I worked hard for it. Your question's fair though, I'll be honest and say I kind of slacked off in school growing up. I got good grades, but I didn't study too much."

"What were your grades like?" Hailey asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Jay teased before saying, "I graduated with honors. I think the only class I got less than an A in was art…sorry."

Hailey's eyes lit up and she let out a loud laugh. "That makes me really happy," she said.

"Very funny," Jay replied and rolled his eyes, "What about you? What was your tough class?"

"I wasn't the best at science," Hailey said. She pulled her knees up so she was mirroring him and added, "Specifically astronomy. Space is just…huge. I can't wrap my mind around it."

Jay laughed and nodded. "I get that. It's a bit overwhelming."

"For sure," Hailey sighed, "Was that your best subject then? Does it even our friendship out?"

"What if I told you my best was gym?"

Again, Hailey let out a loud laugh and shook her head. "Give me a serious class," she said through her laughter.

"Gym is very serious," Jay chuckled, "Core classes, though, math. That was my thing."

Smiling, Hailey tilted her head to the side in thought before saying, "But you laughed when I said science and astronomy was hard."

"Sorry," Jay said quietly, "It's a hard class, so it didn't surprise me."

"No, that's not it," Hailey said with her eyes trained on his, "Why'd you laugh?"

Because he was good at it. He knew astronomy like the back of his hand. He just didn't learn it in school.

There were many nights where he'd lay out on the desert sand within whatever base his unit had set up and stare at the sky. It was so much brighter and massive compared to the sky in Chicago. If anything, it was the best thing about being in the war.

Mouse got really into it, too, and they started looking into the stars and planets more. They'd quiz each other on different constellations and what time it was based on the placement of the moon in the sky. They became really good at this free thing available to them. Yes, it felt big and overwhelming, but it was always there. They could rely on the stars each night. It was no secret to anyone else that they'd lay out there before going to bed. Occasionally, their friends would join them, but no one ever talked.

It was a lot like having a beer with Hailey.

It was quiet and peaceful and kept him calm when things got too scary.

So with a glance toward Hailey's wooden box of paints, he stood up reminding himself that they were breaking down walls together and being more open. They lived together, so what was the point of keeping secrets?

Walking into his room, he knelt next to the bed and pulled out a large silver case that he then brought back to Hailey. She hadn't moved from her spot, but was instead waiting patiently for whatever he was doing.

"You know my friend Mouse?" he began softly as he returned to his spot against the wall.

"Of course," she replied.

He nodded and opened the case. He smiled at its contents as he explained, "When we first came back from Afghanistan, we really didn't have too much money, so even though we were best friends and he's like a brother to me, birthday and Christmas gifts were out of the question. I got money first that was legit. His was," he stopped to roll his eyes before continuing to say, "Drug money. Anyways, I could eventually buy him a birthday gift whereas he could still just afford to pay for my beer. Well, when he joined Intelligence and got adult money, he bought me this to make up for his lack of gifts the years before." He took a deep breath then turned the case to show her the telescope inside.

Hailey's eyes widened and she hesitantly reached out to touch the cool metal.

"We spent a lot of time looking at the stars while we were over there, so…yeah, I'm good at astronomy, but not because of school. Because of the war and Mouse and just needing something to ground me when everything was a lot."

Hailey nodded slightly then looked up to meet his eyes. A small smile crossed her face when she whispered, "That all makes sense and is really, really cool. I wasn't expecting it, but it doesn't surprise me at all. Do you think you could teach me sometime?"

Jay raised an eyebrow and he asked, "Teach you what?"

"Space," Hailey answered and returned to looking at the telescope. She hesitantly picked up the eyepiece and peered inside of it with a soft laugh. "I think it'd be fun," she said while placing it back in the case before picking up the main body of the telescope, "Is there roof access here?"

"Uh, yeah, there is, are you-"

"Cool," she interrupted and returned the telescope to its case. She pushed up on her knees to look out the window. With a sigh, she said, "Probably not tonight, right? It's pretty cloudy."

"Are you serious?" Jay asked.

Hailey turned to look at him and nodded. "Of course," she said, "How have we been friends for two years and I had no idea you were into space?"

"I didn't know you painted," Jay countered.

Hailey shrugged and waved her hand. "I guess we both had some secret hobbies," she said.

Jay smiled slightly and nodded. "Guess we did." He pulled the telescope case back toward himself and stared at it for a moment. Part of him wanted to show her the picture Mouse had included as his card with the gift, but then he spotted Hailey's backpack out of the corner of his eye and hesitated for a second.

When they'd moved her out, she'd been so upset over the cross that had hung near her doorway. It'd taken her almost the entire drive to his apartment to calm down, and since then, there hasn't been anything. She hadn't taken it out, she hadn't mentioned it again; it was just this thing she'd kept hidden.

He thought about it often. At first, his thoughts had been rather stuck on the religion aspect of it; he wondered if it added to her feeling ashamed like she had sinned or something. Recently, he was guessing it had been a gift from someone, but he didn't know who would give her a cross. As far as he knew, she didn't have a huge relationship with her parents or extended family, so he didn't think it had anything to do with them. It could have been a gift from an old boyfriend. Maybe that was why it'd upset her so much because it had watched over her as another boyfriend had beat her…she'd let someone go and gotten this instead.

Whatever it was, he didn't want to push and bring it up, so he brought the telescope back to its hiding place under his bed with the promise to bring it out on a clear night.

"To answer your question about the academy," Hailey said once he returned to the floor next to her, "I think we would have been friends, but I don't know if it would have been instant."

"Yeah?" he replied with a raise of his eyebrows, "Why do you say that?"

Hailey smirked and looked down at her fingers swirling along the hardwood floor. "Well, you're competitive, I'm competitive, it would have been a whole thing," she explained, "But we would have gotten there."

Jay chuckled and pulled his legs back up to his chest. "Yeah, I could see that. Especially in the shooting range."

"You might have me there," Hailey said softly, "But when we learned the sketching? I'd have you beat for sure."

"I won't deny that," Jay laughed.

Hailey looked up and smiled at him. "So, tomorrow, what would you like to do?" she asked.

He shrugged and said, "Nothing particular. Did you have anything certain that you need?"

Hailey bit her lip over her smile and nodded.

"Oh." Jay's eyes widened and he glanced around at her paints. "What is it?" he asked.

"Remember how I told you I wanted a pet?" Hailey said.

Jay felt his heart stop for a moment before saying, "Yes."

"I was thinking of getting a fish. Wanna come with me?"

"A fish?"

"Yeah, something like a betta. Apparently they're pretty hearty and don't die easily."

Jay relaxed and laughed softly. "All right, sounds like a plan."

"Did you think I wanted a dog?" Hailey laughed.

"Definitely thought you wanted something other than a fish," Jay said with a smile, "I had no idea how we were going to fit a dog in here."

"I wish, but no," Hailey said, "Just a fish for now."

"Then let's do it, let's get you a fish."


Their morning started with Hailey getting up early and making waffles because she insisted Jay indulge himself on his day off. He laughed along with her and let her make whatever she wanted, but drew the line at whipped cream and chocolate chips on top. Breakfast was followed by Hailey showering quickly and asking him if she should put makeup on. She didn't want people to stare, but she also didn't want to feel like she was hiding something. After a quick debate where Jay refused to take a side which just frustrated Hailey, she decided on putting enough on to hide the harshness of the bruising without caking it on and not feeling like herself.

At the pet store, they walked over to the shelves filled with small containers of betta fish and simply stared for a minute.

Jay eventually cleared his throat and asked, "So…are they even alive?"

Hailey rolled her eyes and smacked his arm. "Yes, they're alive, look." She stepped forward to pick up one of the containers and hold it close to her face to examine the dark blue fish inside.

"It's not moving," Jay whispered.

"Shut up," Hailey hissed back. Seconds later, the fins fluttered and she scoffed in success. "Told you," she said with a smirk while placing the fish back on the shelf.

"Yeah, looks real alive to me," Jay said quietly.

Hailey ignored him, though, and began reading all the labels on the containers. "What do you think it takes to raise a baby one?" she asked.

"A lot of work," Jay chuckled, "I thought the whole point of a fish was to leave it in the bowl and feed it every few days."

"You never know," Hailey said softly.

She continued scanning all the containers and occasionally picked them up to look at the fish inside. Jay softened at the concentration on her face. For the first time in two weeks, she had some sort of purpose – it was a small purpose and maybe a silly one, but it was a purpose. She was determined to get herself a fish and he did not want to be the one who stopped her.

"Is there a certain color you want?" he asked her and picked up one of the top fish. Inside the container, the red betta swam quickly around before settling itself on the bottom floor.

"Uh, not really," Hailey said and looked up at the one he was holding. She smiled at it then grabbed a container from the bottom shelf. "This one's kind of pretty, though, right?" she asked.

Jay looked down at the fish in her hands. It had a dark blue body with red fins that switched to teal halfway through. "I like it," he said, "A lot more colors than the one next to it." He pointed at the female betta to the left of where she'd grabbed that one.

"Well, yeah," Hailey replied with a shrug, "Males are always more interesting to look at compared to females."

"I completely disagree," Jay mumbled.

Hailey laughed and leaned against him briefly. "Shut up," she said.

Laughing as well, Jay shook his head and put his fish back. "So is that the one?" he asked.

"Yeah," Hailey said with a smile toward her fish, "I think he's the one. Now the essentials."

Jay followed her down the aisle and held the different items she passed him: a small tank, rocks, two plants, a plastic cave, filters, and food. As they walked, she chatted softly about the differences between food brands and if the cave was a good idea. He nodded along and offered his input despite knowing she wasn't going to listen to a single suggestion he said; not that it mattered too much as he generally agreed with whatever choice she made.

Once at the end of the aisle, Hailey passed him a basket sitting there for everything she was going to buy then said, "Want to check out the dogs and cats before leaving?"

"Only reason I came," he joked and winked.

Hailey laughed and looked down at her fish as she walked through the store. "I'm trying to think of a name for him," she explained.

"I like the name Tony," Jay answered.

Hailey's jaw dropped slightly and she looked up gaping at him. "Tony?" she repeated, "Respectfully, no."

Jay laughed, "Why not?"

"Such a dumb fish name," she said, "Tony's like…a cat name I guess. That's funny. Not for a fish."

Smirking, Jay said, "Respectfully, I disagree."

"You're ridiculous," Hailey mumbled as they stepped up to the cat cages.

Jay looked in the cages at a couple kittens then said, "Why don't you name it something Greek?"

Hailey glanced up at him and smiled as she said, "Not a bad idea."

"See? I'm smart," he quipped back.

Hailey laughed and shook her head once more.

"Excuse me? Can I help you?"

They turned to see one of the workers standing a few feet away from them.

"No, just looking, thanks," Hailey answered.

The girl bit her lip then stepped forward and repeated, "Can I help you?"

Jay raised an eyebrow and said, "We're good, thanks."

The girl blushed and hurried away.

"What the hell?" Jay whispered.

"They don't work commission, do they?" Hailey asked under her breath.

"It's a pet store, I doubt it," he replied, "Come on, I think I saw a puppy back there."

They spent a few minutes walking along the cages of the various dogs. Jay had seen a puppy in one of the smaller ones that Hailey then jokingly asked to get just to have him easily deny her. She wasn't surprised at all by his answer, but what she didn't know was that had she asked even just one more time, he probably would have caved. She just looked so happy as she whispered to it that he almost bought it without her even asking. They weren't in the right spot for a dog, though, so it really was an easy pass even if he wanted it just as badly as she did.

Eventually they returned to the front of the store and were setting everything Hailey picked out on the counter when another worker walked over to them. Holding Hailey's eye contact, the young woman said, "Ma'am, do you have a second?"

Hailey blinked and glanced at Jay before saying, "Uh, sure." She followed the woman a few feet away as a teenage boy began ringing up all of the fish supplies.

"Everything okay?" Jay asked him.

But the boy ignored him and just typed in the number of plants they were buying.

Jay sighed and leaned against the counter with his eyes on Hailey and the woman having a whispered conversation. A minute later, she walked over with a flushed face and quickly paid for everything.

"You good?" Jay asked.

"Yes," she snapped and grabbed all of her bags before hurrying out of the store.

Jay raised an eyebrow and picked up the fish not named Tony, so he could quickly follow her all the way out to the truck.

"What was that?" he asked once they were both sitting in the cab and he'd passed her the fish.

Hailey shook her head and pulled the mirror down. She examined her face then huffed and stared out the window.

"Hailey," he said softly, "What'd she say to you?"

Scratching at her arm, she hesitated then said, "She knew. They knew."

"Knew what?" Jay asked.

"Knew," Hailey sighed, "They knew what's wrong with me. They asked…they asked if you did it."

Jay furrowed his brow as he considered what she said only for his eyes to widen a second later. "They thought I hurt you?" he whispered.

Hailey nodded and angrily wiped her eyes. She couldn't look over at him and continued staring out the window.

"I…did you…"

He didn't know what to say. Hailey obviously knew that he wasn't the one who had hurt her, he didn't need to remind her though it seemed as if the pet store workers had already done just that.

What he figured he could do was drive, so he started the car and backed out of the parking spot. As he pulled onto the street, he turned up the music then let his right hand rest on the console.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hailey still wiping at unshed tears with one hand as her other gripped the betta fish. He frowned, but stayed quiet not wanting to disturb her.

He was waiting for the traffic light to turn green when something nudged his hand. Glancing down, he saw Hailey trying to set the betta fish in the cup holder. He smiled slightly and was about to say something when she figured it out and grabbed his thumb.

She whimpered and stared out the window as she held onto him. Her sniffles drifted above the music and distracted Jay from anything the radio was saying. All he wanted to do was hold her and make any of the pain stop. He wanted to erase what had happened to her and ensure that it never happened again.

But he couldn't.

For one, he was driving.

More than that, though, he knew she was an adult and, love her as he might, he couldn't protect her from everything out in the world. He knew as well as anyone that the world was a cruel place that liked to chew people up then spit them out.

However…

He was going to try damn hard.


Once parked in his lot, Jay looked down at Hailey's small hand still wrapped around his thumb.

"Hey," he whispered.

Hailey's red eyes turned to face him and she slowly sucked in a breath.

"It's okay," he said.

Her eyes scanned his quickly before she shook her head and said, "They thought you hit me."

"But I didn't," he argued, "We both know I didn't. It doesn't-"

"It does!" Hailey yelled and yanked her hand away, "Do you not understand? People saw me like I was some victim. Like I was less than them because some person beat me up. I don't even look as-as broken as I did before! I even put makeup on! I-I…I'm a mess!"

"Hailey," Jay said softly, "You are not broken and you are not a mess. You-"

"You don't get it," she interrupted, "Someone beat me. He put his hands on me and hit me over and over and over again. I couldn't move. I-I couldn't feel anything. I just…I was on the floor and I hated it. I hated every moment of my life and…and it…Jay…I…my mom…I was…"

Tears spilt down her cheeks as she began gasping for breath. Again, she reached out for his hand with shaking fingers and sucked in for air.

"Hailey," he said quietly.

"I-I can't…" she gasped and gripped at her own shirt with her casted hand.

"Okay, okay."

Jay made quick work of putting the fish on the dashboard so he could flip the console up and slide closer to her. He undid her seatbelt then gently nudged her forward so he could rub her back.

"Head down," he whispered, "Slow. Try to breathe. I'm right here. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Her fingernails scraped against his jeans as she tried gripping onto something until he slipped his hand back into hers.

"Right here," he continued, "I'm right here. In this together, okay? Squeeze my hand. Focus on me. Right here."

"I was my mom," she breathed out and tightened her grip on him, "He hit me like he used to hit her. I was my mom. They asked me like they used to ask her. I was my mom."

He wanted to tell her that she wasn't her mom, but the words died on his tongue. It felt like it'd be a lie. In no world could he confidently tell her that. He'd never met her mom. He didn't know the full story. It seemed like it'd do more harm than good, so he kept whispering reminders to breathe and that he was there for her while rubbing slow circles on her back.

It killed him, but it was all he could do for now.

Eventually, her hand stopped shaking within his and it seemed like it was easier for her to breathe. She stayed bent over, but leaned slightly into him and closed her eyes.

"There you go," he whispered, "That's my girl."

At that, her eyes shot open and she straightened up to look at him.

He raised an eyebrow and asked softly, "Yeah?"

"You've said that before," she whispered, "You-You called me your girl…here?" She looked around the truck with a sniffle. Wiping her eyes, she nodded and repeated, "You said that before, and-and you told me…did you tell me to be big and strong?"

Jay blushed, but still added, "And brave."

"And brave," Hailey breathed, "Big and strong and brave." She weakly smiled and tilted her head to the side as she asked, "Why am I just remembering that now?"

Jay shrugged and slowly shook his head.

Hailey sucked in another breath then pressed her palms to her eyes smearing the bit of mascara she'd put on. "Gosh," she sighed, "I…thank you. That…I don't know…"

"I think it was a panic attack," Jay suggested quietly.

Hailey nodded and mumbled, "I think so too. I haven't had one in a long time. Like a long, long time. And never around others."

Jay lightly rubbed her back again then put his hand in his lap.

"You knew what to do though," Hailey said. She tucked her hair behind her ear and continued, "I'm guessing you have experience too."

He smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah," he breathed, "I've had them too and seen them. Mostly been alone when it happened, but sometimes you can't help it and your friend or brother sees."

Hailey nodded in understanding and placed her hand on his thigh.

"But do you want to talk about you?" Jay asked, "Do you know why it happened?"

Hailey chewed her lip as she looked back outside. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "How about we go inside first?" she said quietly, "We can put Psári in his bowl and get him situated."

Jay couldn't help but laugh quickly. "What?" he asked, "What is sorry?"

"Psári," Hailey repeated and began to smile when she turned back to him, "It's Greek for the word fish."

Jay blinked then laughed harder while sliding back to his seat. "You're ridiculous," he said.

"I thought you'd like it," Hailey giggled.

"I do," Jay chuckled. He picked up the fish – Psári – and shook his head before saying, "Come on, let's get…Psári? Did I say that right?"

"Yeah, pretty close," Hailey said. She wiped her eyes again then jumped out of the truck.

Jay smiled after her then stepped out as well.

Hailey stayed rather close to him as they walked into the apartment building. Occasionally she sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, but, in general, she seemed much better than ten minutes before. However, when another tenant walked out from a side hallway, she did step behind him and turned her head away to seemingly hide her bruised face and puffy eyes. While it may have worked, her smile was completely wiped from her face once they got in the elevator.

Jay gave her an encouraging smile after pressing the button to his floor and lightly nudged her arm. He nodded and whispered, "You're okay. We're okay."

She nodded back and wiped a few last unshed tears from her eyes with her hand still wrapped in its cast.

They silently made their way to the apartment where Jay unlocked the door and led the way inside with Psári in his hand. Together, they worked to set up the small fish tank on the kitchen island where they could still see it from the couch. They had to wait to transfer Psári into the new water, so Jay killed time by excusing himself to the bathroom for a moment.

In there, like he could so clearly remember from her hospital room, he leaned over the sink and finally began to catch his breath. He'd seen Hailey break down more times than he ever wanted to within the past couple weeks and it never got easier. It felt like a knife to the heart each time she cried especially because there was rarely anything he could do besides simply comfort her to get it to stop.

Splashing water on his face, he groaned. Hailey's sobs and gasps for breaths echoed in his head. It had seemed so loud within his truck and just made him feel helpless. He wasn't even sure if holding her and touching her had helped much, but it made him feel better and maybe that was good enough.

By the time he'd calmed down and returned to the living area, Hailey was sitting on the couch wrapped in her purple blanket staring at a random movie on the TV. "Cold?" he asked.

Hailey glanced back at him and nodded. "Yeah," she answered softly, "I'm okay though."

He shook his head and walked in his bedroom. A moment later, he returned and passed her his grey Blackhawks hoodie before sitting next to her.

"Thanks," she breathed. She smiled at him as she slipped it on then nodded toward Psári and said, "We're gonna have to wait a bit for him, so feel like watching a movie?"

"Course, we can do that," Jay replied and reached over to the coffee table for the remote, "What do you want to watch?"

"Well, you said Tony and it's actually Tony Stark, right? Want to introduce me to Iron Man?" Hailey asked with a smile teasing her lips.

Jay raised an eyebrow, but laughed softly and said, "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Hailey turned on the couch to rest her feet against his thigh. She tossed the blanket over the both of them then leaned back against the cushions. "It'll give me something else to focus on for the time being," she explained softly.

Jay frowned and put a hand on her ankle. "Hailey," he started, "You…"

She shook her head, but glanced over her shoulder at her backpack still resting in the corner of the living room near her art supplies.

Following her gaze, Jay began rubbing his thumb along the edge of her sock. He breathed in then looked back at her as he asked what he'd been dying to know for close to a week: "Why the cross?"

If possible, Hailey's face fell even more. She didn't cry, though, and instead took a deep breath before untangling herself from the blanket. She padded over to her backpack and dug around for a moment. With the wooden cross in hand, she slowly returned to the couch and passed it over to him. He didn't give it much more than a glance, and instead chose to hold her eye contact.

"It's from my mom," she quietly explained, "Like my dad, she wasn't a huge fan when I joined the academy, but she did – does, she does – want me to be happy, so she gave me this at my graduation. It was to keep me safe."

Jay nodded slowly then looked down at the cross. It was rather smooth and almost seemed worn like it was old. He turned it in his hands, but stopped at writing on the back:

I'm proud of you, my Melaina.

Dearest Hailey, you are very strong. I love you.

"My grandma – Giagiá – gave it to my mom when she got married, which," Hailey stopped to roll her eyes and sink further into the cushions, "Clearly that went well. And then she gave it to me and that…well, that didn't work either, did it? Damn thing's cursed."

Jay frowned further. He leaned forward to set the cross on the coffee table then turned to fully face her on the couch.

"It's like I disappointed her," she continued under her breath, "I…I was…he hurt me right in front of that thing. I told myself that I'd never become her, and then…"

Shaking his head, Jay reached out to set his hand on the side of her arm. He mulled over his words before slowly saying, "You're not her. You may have gotten hurt like her, but you are certainly not her. You are planning to go to court and explain what had happened. You're standing up for yourself. You aren't letting him win."

Hailey met his eyes as her own began tearing up again. With a hasty wipe to them, she nodded.

"You're not your mom," Jay repeated, "You're you, and you're damn good at it."

She snorted a watery laugh and looked down at her hands. She lightly traced her fingers along the edge of her cast as she nodded once more.

Growing more confident as seconds ticked on, Jay whispered, "Hailey Upton is a badass and I am proud of her. She was dealt a real crappy hand in life, but she came out really strong."

Her eyes flickered up to him and the first hint of a smile crossed her face.

"You're not broken," he continued, "And this will not ever break you. Your mom might not have left your dad, but she might have tried to protect you and your brothers, right? I don't know why she wouldn't have left, but part of me wants to think she was doing it to protect you all. That's strong, I think."

"It's not ideal and it was hell," Hailey cut in.

Jay nodded and sighed. "I…yes, you're right, I'm sorry."

He felt his cheeks flush and wanted to look away because this was the exact reason he didn't want to say anything earlier. He didn't know what her situation had been growing up, but here he was pretending he did. It made him feel sick.

However, he couldn't look away from Hailey's eyes. He knew he had to have struck a nerve, but there was a fire blazing within her that he could see come to life. Her eyes no longer looked glassy and some of the color was coming back to her face. She breathed in slowly then sat up and opened and closed her mouth.

A beat later, she said, "It was hell…but you…you're right. I'm not her because my strength is coming from the ability to leave, not to stay for others. I'm choosing my happiness and safety over someone else's. I choose me."

Jay smiled and nodded.

Hailey glanced over to the cross and picked it up. She flipped it over to trace her finger along the words written in permanent marker along the wood.

"I think she'd still be proud of me," she whispered, "I'm doing something she never could do."

"And you're going to succeed," Jay said softly.

Hailey smiled to herself then looked up at him. "Thank you," she breathed.

"Anytime," he whispered back.

Hailey wiped her eyes one last time and put the cross down. "I'm not my mom," she stated.

"You are not," Jay said with a nod.

Hailey's smile grew as she settled back on the couch. She adjusted the blankets with a glance to the kitchen island where Psári was sitting. "Finish setting his tank up after Iron Man?" she asked.

"Wouldn't want to do anything else," Jay chuckled.

Hailey laughed and pulled her feet back up on the couch just for Jay to grab them and set them in his lap while kicking his own up on the coffee table. Her face lit up as she scrolled through her phone to begin casting the movie to the TV.

It might have been Jay's favorite Marvel movie, but he found himself watching someone who he considered a much better superhero, someone who was much braver, someone who was incredibly strong.

Hailey was living up to his mom's motto. She was big, strong, and brave just like he'd told her weeks before.

And he never wanted her to forget that.